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en2018 - VOA60Tue, 14 Aug 2018 17:16:00 -0400Pangea CMS – VOAPakistani Extremists' Poll Success Stirs UneaseMany in Pakistan are concerned about strong performance of several extremist religious parties with links to terror groups in recent elections and those groups' emergence in the country's political arena.
Pakistan just came out of its general elections in which Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of former national cricket team captain Imran Khan, defeated the country's main two political parties.
While political analysts are still sorting through how PTI's win changes the political landscape, there is already concern over the strong performance of several extremist religious parties, some of which have links to terror groups.
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) is one of the parties that quickly became a political force in Pakistan despite being just a year old. The party fielded over 180 candidates across the country, winning two million votes, and securing two seats in the Sindh provincial assembly.
TLP was created last August by a cleric who embraces Pakistan's hard-line blasphemy laws. The party champions the legacy of Mumtaz Qadri, a former bodyguard who was executed last year for killing the politician he was supposed to be protecting. Qadri said he killed Punjab Governor Salman Taseer in 2011 because the politician had called for the government to amend the blasphemy law.
Religious parties joining mainstream politics is not a new phenomenon in Pakistan. Many have had a long history in the country's political arena. And TLP did not win any seats in the national assembly despite its overall stronger than expected showing.
Party emergence 'alarming'
But analysts worry that TLP's success and the growth of even harder-line parties backed by militant groups with proven terror ties, is a dangerous sign for Pakistan's politics.
"This new religious order is very dangerous for Pakistan and for the population as well. It shows this TLP strategy is both active and passive," said Noreen Naseer, a political scientist from Peshawar University. "We see how they have used their street power. We have seen that in the past how TLP was maneuvering or communicating whatever they wanted to the government and different powerful institutions."
Naseer was referring to last year's Islamabad protest when thousands of TLP followers gathered in the country's capital and paralyzed the city for several weeks before the military intervened and persuaded the group to end its sit-in.
WATCH: Pakistani Extremist Party's Election Performance Generates Concern
At the time, TLP accused the government of committing blasphemy over attempting to modify a parliamentary bill related to the Khatam-e-Nabbuwwat oath, which affirms the end of prophecy with Muhammad being the last prophet. According to the existing law, every Muslim serving in the government in Pakistan has to take the oath.
Critics charge the oath has been used to persecute minority groups, such as the Ahmadi religious minority, which considers itself an adherent of Islam but does not believe in the end of prophecy.
TLP followers blocked lawmakers' efforts to amend the law.
Peshawar-based analyst Khadim Hussain said these "sectarian political parties will actually try to blackmail the mainstream political parties for laws or amendments in laws of their own choice. It will take the whole society or the state more towards radical or extremist views."
"These parties," he added, "were given a leeway during these elections to take forward their sectarian narrative and permeate it in the streets, villages, far-flung areas they [TLP] could not previously access."
Links to militants
Milli Muslim League (MML), is another political party that participated in the recent elections but did not garner enough votes to win a seat in national or provincial legislatures. It is directly linked to Hafiz Saeed, a U.S.-designated global terrorist and founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, and was designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department earlier this year.
Saeed is believed to be the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans.
MML fielded more than 260 candidates in provincial and state elections under the platform of Allah-O-Akbar Tehreek (AAT), an old Islamist political party with Saeed openly campaigning for them.
Similarly, Ahle-Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat (ASWJ), a sectarian Sunni militant group with links to terror groups Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeT) and al-Qaida, fielded several candidates in the elections.
VOA's Deewa service contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistani-extremist-party-s-strong-finish-in-elections-draws-concern/4512624.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistani-extremist-party-s-strong-finish-in-elections-draws-concern/4512624.htmlFri, 03 Aug 2018 17:01:12 -0400Extremism WatchSouth & Central Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistani-extremist-party-s-strong-finish-in-elections-draws-concern/4512624.html#commentsUS Adds 3 Pakistanis With LeT Ties to Terror Watch List The U.S. on Tuesday blacklisted three Pakistani nationals for their suspected financial, technical and logistical links to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a U.S.- and U.N.-designated terror organization operating in Pakistan.
Abdul Rehman al-Dakhil, a senior commander of LeT, was added to the U.S. State Department's Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) list for providing operational assistance to terrorists or acts of terrorism.
The State Department said in a statement that Dakhil "is a longtime member of the U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and SDGT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) (LeT) and was an operational leader for LeT's attacks in India between 1997 and 2001."
"In 2004, Dakhil was captured in Iraq by U.K. forces, then held in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan until his transfer to Pakistan in 2014. After his release from Pakistani custody, Dakhil returned to work for LeT," the statement added.
U.S. Treasury directive
The U.S. Treasury in a statement issued on its website Tuesday also accused Hameed ul Hassan and Abdul Jabbar of being the group's "financial facilitators" and imposed sanctions on them "to disrupt ... fundraising and support networks" for Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The Lashkar-e-Taiba "financial facilitators are responsible for collecting, transporting and distributing funds to support this terrorist group and provide salaries to extremists," Sigal Mandelker, undersecretary of the U.S. Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a statement.
"Treasury's designations not only aim to expose and shut down Lashkar-e Tayyiba's financial network, but also to curtail its ability to raise funds to carry out violent terrorist attacks," Mandelker added, using an alternate spelling for the group.
The sanctions announced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control prohibit U.S. companies and U.S. nationals from conducting any business with the cited individuals. The designation also blocks the financial accounts and assets of the three Pakistani militants.
The Treasury and State Departments' directives also named the three individuals as high-profile targets for law enforcement authorities worldwide.
Key operatives
All three Pakistani men are said to have served in key positions for LeT, which is considered to be responsible for the deadly Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 in which more than 160 people were killed, including six Americans.
Dakhil reportedly worked as a senior commander for LeT.
"In 2016, Dakhil was the LeT divisional commander for the Jammu region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. As of early 2018, Dakhil remained a senior commander in LeT," the U.S. State Department statement said.
Hassan is believed to be a key financial facilitator for LeT who gathered funds on behalf of the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a front charity organization for LeT.
According to the U.S. Treasury, Hassan collected funds through FIF's platform and transferred the money to Syria. Hassan is also accused of managing party funds within and outside Pakistan.
Jabbar, another LeT operative, is said to have worked as a financial operative since 2000. Jabbar's duties included, but were not limited to, managing and distributing salaries among LeT staff and collecting funds on behalf of FIF.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Treasury added Rahman Zeb Faqir Muhammad to its terror watch list for providing financial, technical and logistical support to LeT, as well.
​Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba was founded by Hafiz Saeed in 1987 with the goal of liberating Indian-administered Kashmir and subsequently merging it with Pakistan. The group's main focus had remained on Kashmir, but it has also expanded its operations to neighboring Afghanistan in recent years.
Lashkar-e-Taiba was designated a terror organization by the U.S. Department of State in December 2001.
In April of this year, the State Department also imposed sanctions on Pakistani political party, the Milli Muslim League (MML), and designated the party and its leadership as terrorists. MML was created last year and is believed to be the political front for Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), another front organization of LeT.
Milli Muslim League, although not being recognized as a national political party, still managed to field its candidates throughout Pakistan under the platform of another registered Islamist party in the general elections held last week.
Pakistan has come under criticism from both the United States and India for turning a blind eye to LeT's terror activities in the region.
Islamabad denies the charges and maintains it has choked terror networks across the country indiscriminately.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-adds-three-pakistanis-lashkar-e-taiba-ties-to-terror-watch-list/4508135.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-adds-three-pakistanis-lashkar-e-taiba-ties-to-terror-watch-list/4508135.htmlTue, 31 Jul 2018 18:45:31 -0400Extremism Watchwebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/us-adds-three-pakistanis-lashkar-e-taiba-ties-to-terror-watch-list/4508135.html#commentsHundreds With Terror Ties Run in Pakistan ElectionsVoters across Pakistan will go to the polls Wednesday to elect a new civilian government. The country's election commission disqualified many candidates on various grounds, including allegations of corruption.
Some observers charge that justice is implemented selectively against candidates who are deemed a threat to the military, while hundreds of other candidates with alleged ties to banned militant groups are allowed to run for seats.
"Although the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the federal entity responsible to organize and conduct elections, clearly states no terror-linked group or individual would be allowed to contest elections, ECP made no effort to stop such elements from arranging political gatherings or to run election campaigns," Rasul Baksh Raees, a Lahore-based analyst, told VOA.
"Look at Hafiz Saeed and Khadim Rizvi of Tehreek-e-Labbaik, and several other individuals competing for national and provincial seats from all over the country," he added.
More than 110 political parties and hundreds of independent candidates will run for more than 570 provincial assembly and 340 national assembly seats. Among those running for office are candidates who are either members of banned terror groups or support religious extremism.
Election commission officials say it is not their responsibility to declare an individual or a party as a terrorist.
"This responsibility lies with the government. Our job is to make sure the legal procedures and requirements are fulfilled, and only after the vetting do we allow any individual or party to participate in the elections," Altaf Ahmad, ECP spokesperson, told VOA.
Last week, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also issued a statement, expressing concerns about election legitimacy amid dozens of extremists and banned outfits participating in the elections.
Military involvement
Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan's former ambassador to the United States and director for South and Central Asia at the Washington-based Hudson Institute, believes Pakistan's military is meddling in elections with a clear agenda.
"The establishment wants to root out the two parties that have dominated the political scene for the last three decades — the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)," Haqqani wrote in an opinion piece Monday for Foreign Policy magazine.
"Several religious extremists, including some who have been designated as terrorists, have been allowed to run and campaign for office freely," Haqqani added.
The military denies the accusations that it is meddling in the country's electoral process.
"We do not have any link with the elections. We are only working on the election commission's directives to improve the law-and-order situation. We do not have a direct role in polls," Maj Gen. Asif Ghafoor, spokesperson for Pakistan's Army, told the country's lawmakers last week.
The military is deploying about 350,000 soldiers across the country to various polling stations.
Militant groups
Several militant organizations are running for seats in Wednesday's elections. The Milli Muslim League (MML), a U.S.-designated terror group, is fielding more than 260 candidates to participate in the state and provincial elections under the platform of Allah-O-Akbar Tehreek (AAT), an old Islamist political party.
The U.S. State Department declared MML a terrorist group earlier this year and labeled its leadership as terrorists.
Hafiz Saeed, a U.S.-designated global terrorist accused of being the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 160 people, including six Americans, openly addressed political gatherings and rallies arranged on MML's behalf.
Another militant group, Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), has more than 150 candidates who are contesting for seats in the national and provincial assemblies under the platform of Rah-e-Haq Party or as independent candidates.
Aurangzeb Farooqi
Aurangzeb Farooqi of ASWJ has managed to run a strong election campaign for a seat in the national assembly from Pakistan's largest city, Karachi.
This is not the first time Farooqi has competed in elections. He ran for office in 2013 and lost by a margin of 202 votes.
"There is a chance Aurangzeb Farooqi will be able to win this time. The guy has remained on Pakistan's terror watchlist. His party, ASWJ, has a proven record of inciting hatred and sectarian violence. But he has still managed to run an election campaign, and that is an irony," Lahore-based analyst Raees said.
ASWJ is a sectarian Sunni militant group established in Punjab province in 1985 to counter Shi'ite Islam in the country. It was previously known as Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP). The party was placed on the country's terror watchlist for its alleged links to militant groups such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and al-Qaida.
Shafiq Mengal
Shafiq Mengal, a controversial candidate running for office, allegedly has ties to terror groups. He is running for a national assembly seat from Khuzdar, Blaochistan.
Mengal is the founder of Baloch Musalla Diffa Tanzeem, which was placed on a terror watchlist by Pakistan in 2010.
Mengal is believed to have participated in sectarian violence against the Hazara Shi'ites and Baloch insurgents running separatist movements in Pakistan's Balochistan province.
Khadim Rizvi
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP), an Islamist political party that advocates for the strict enforcement of the country's controversial blasphemy law, has also fielded more than 180 candidates for the elections.
The party's leader, Khadim Rizvi, openly admires Mumtaz Qadri and vows to follow in his footsteps.
Qadri was a bodyguard for Punjab's Governor Salman Taseer, whom Qadri assassinated in 2011 after Taseer demanded changes to the country's controversial blasphemy law.
https://www.voanews.com/a/hundreds-candidates-terror-ties-running-pakistan-elections/4498747.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/hundreds-candidates-terror-ties-running-pakistan-elections/4498747.htmlTue, 24 Jul 2018 21:45:46 -0400Extremism Watchwebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/hundreds-candidates-terror-ties-running-pakistan-elections/4498747.html#commentsAttacks on Pakistan Politicos Raise Security ConcernsTwo prominent Pakistani politicians were killed in deadly terror attacks in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces this week. Both of the politicians were hit by suicide bombers while they were attending campaign rallies in their constituencies. With general elections just 12 days away, some candidates are questioning the government's security measures and its ability to ensure the safety of candidates. VOA's Madeeha Anwar reports.https://www.voanews.com/a/attacks-pakistani-politicians-raise-security-concerns/4482153.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/attacks-pakistani-politicians-raise-security-concerns/4482153.htmlFri, 13 Jul 2018 19:39:00 -0400Extremism Watchwebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)Pakistani Killing Sparks Debate on Candidate Safety The killing of Haroon Bilour, a prominent politician from Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has sparked a debate about the state's security measures and its ability to ensure the safety of politicians ahead of Pakistan general elections scheduled for this month.
Bilour, a provincial assembly candidate and a prominent leader of the secular Awami National Party (ANP), was killed Tuesday night when a suicide bomber blew himself up as Bilour was about to address an election rally in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
The blast killed 21 people and left more than 70 others wounded.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a U.S.-designated global terrorist organization, on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the attack.
Bilour's killing came a day after Pakistan's National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), an entity that devises the country's counterterrorism strategies, issued an advisory to several politicians that militants could target them during election rallies and meetings.
Following Tuesday's attack, some experts were skeptical about the state's ability to provide security in large public rallies and gatherings.
"Bilour's killing is yet another security lapse, especially in light of the fact that NACTA had just released a warning that many top politicians are facing security threats," Jahangir Khattak, a New York-based political analyst, told VOA.
"It was the responsibility of the security establishment and intelligence apparatus to add new layers of security for all the main political faces of the prominent parties contesting elections who are under imminent threats," Khattak added.
Dr. Muhammad Taqi, a U.S.-based South Asia expert, echoed Khattak's concerns and added that attacks in election rallies undermine the government's claims of cracking down on militants in the country.
"The attack on Haroon Bilour is condemnable, and it also shows the threat against terrorism is very real and relevant. Haroon Bilour's father was also killed a few years back in a similar manner. So, where do we stand in the war against terror after six years?"
In 2012, Bashir Ahmad Bilour, Haroon's father and another active ANP leader, was killed in a suicide attack in Peshawar. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack at the time, as well.
The Pakistani army contends there has been a significant decline in terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the military launched several operations that targeted and destroyed the terror group's hideouts, specifically in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan. But militants continue to carry out terror attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country.
Fair elections
Asfand Yaar Wali, president of the ANP, told reporters that Bilour's killing raised questions about the ability of the state to hold fair elections in the face of serious security threats.
"After this incident, how can one expect the elections will be free and fair?" he said. "The threat of terrorism is real in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The issue is that our enemy knows us, but we do not know them."
Security measures
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the postponement of the election at PK-78, Bilour's constituency, following Tuesday's terror attack.
Meanwhile, Major General Asif Ghafoor, Pakistan's military spokesperson, announced Tuesday during a press briefing that the military had plans to deploy more than 371,000 security forces to various polling stations across the country to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.
Ghafoor added that troops were being deployed at the request of the country's election commission.
VOA's Deewa service contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-politician-killing-debate-candidates-safety/4480425.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-politician-killing-debate-candidates-safety/4480425.htmlThu, 12 Jul 2018 18:42:15 -0400Extremism WatchSouth & Central Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-politician-killing-debate-candidates-safety/4480425.html#commentsBanned Islamist Leader Campaigns in PakistanLeaders of various political parties across Pakistan have stepped up their campaign efforts to motivate voters for the country's upcoming general election scheduled for later this month. Among them is Hafiz Saeed, a U.S.-designated global terrorist and head of Milli Muslim League (MML), a banned militant group turned political party. His rallies in Punjab province attracted large crowds of people. VOA's Madeeha Anwar reports.https://www.voanews.com/a/banned-islamist-leader-openly-campaigns-in-pakistan/4471769.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/banned-islamist-leader-openly-campaigns-in-pakistan/4471769.htmlSat, 07 Jul 2018 02:38:00 -0400Extremism Watchwebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)Banned Pakistan Party Plans to Contest ElectionsAs Pakistan prepares for general elections in a few weeks, the Milli Muslim League (MML), a banned militant group-turned-political party, says it will field hundreds of candidates across the country under the umbrella of Allah-O-Akbar Tehreek (AAT), an old Islamist political party.
MML, established in August 2017, joined hands with AAT after Pakistan's Election Commission (ECP) rejected MML's request for registration last month.
"Getting into politics is the right of every Pakistani, and no one can be denied their basic, fundamental right. That's why we have decided to participate under the umbrella of Allah-O-Akbar Tehreek in the upcoming elections," MML spokesman Ahmad Nadeem Awan told VOA.
The ECP first rejected MML's request to be recognized as a political party last year, after Pakistan's interior ministry reached out to ECP and accused MML of serving as a front organization for Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD).
JuD is a banned militant group — the U.S. and U.N. have designated it terror organization — with ties to Hafiz Saeed, a U.S.-designated global terrorist accused of being the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 160 people, including six Americans.
The U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on MML in April and labeled its leadership as terrorists.
Court's intervention
In March, the Islamabad High Court instructed the election commission to re-evaluate its decision about MML. The electoral body again rejected MML's registration request.
Awan, the MML spokesman, criticized ECP's decision, saying it had denied the group a fundamental right.
"Our right to register at Pakistan's electoral body was denied twice despite the ruling by the Islamabad court. But this will not stop us from participating in the elections," Awan said.
Some experts in Pakistan view MML's alliance with AAT as "alarming" and say it will reinforce allegations that Pakistan is unable or unwilling to curb militant groups' activities.
"Disappointing and very alarming — allowing MML to participate under some other political platform will only add to the global pressure and criticism on Pakistan regarding cracking down on militant groups," retired Lieutenant General Talat Masood, a prominent defense and security analyst, told VOA. "Don't forget, we have just been added to FATF's terror watch list, and there is a possibility of going on the blacklist in the coming months."
Last week, the Financial Action Task Force, a global financial watchdog, placed Pakistan on its terror watch list for its alleged failure to address terror financing and money laundering in the country.
Zahid Khan, a leader of the Awami National Party and a former senator, said MML's ability to run in the elections pointed to the failure of the state and election commission, especially when election officials were warned against allowing militant groups to run for election.
"The political parties in a meeting with ECP last month clearly expressed their concerns that militant-turned-political parties must not be allowed to contest the elections at any cost. It is against the constitution and the stance that the government has taken in the past few months on MML," Khan said.
260 candidates
MML is reportedly aiming to field 260 candidates to participate in the state and provincial elections. Seventy-nine candidates will run for the national assembly. Another 181 candidates will seek seats in provincial assemblies.
Saeed's son and son-in-law are among the MML's chosen candidates. Thirteen women also are running on MML's behalf.
"We have chalked out our strategy on motivating the voters to come out and cast their votes for AAT. It's unfortunate that we have to run the elections under another political party, but what is important is we will be contesting the elections," Awan said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/banned-pakistan-party-plans-to-contest-elections/4468121.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/banned-pakistan-party-plans-to-contest-elections/4468121.htmlWed, 04 Jul 2018 19:00:30 -0400Extremism WatchSouth & Central Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/banned-pakistan-party-plans-to-contest-elections/4468121.html#commentsPakistan Pulls Extremist From Terror Watch List Pakistan's government has lifted a ban on extremist religious leader Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, at a time when the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has placed the country on its terror watch list for its alleged failure to curb terror financing.
Ludhianvi, known to be a staunch Sunni Islamist, is the leader of Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), a radical sectarian outfit that is accused of orchestrating several deadly attacks against minority Shiites in Pakistan over the past two decades.
Some experts in Pakistan believe the decision will undermine the state's counterterrorism regulations and its narrative that the country is targeting militant groups, along with their money-laundering and terror-financing efforts.
"We've just been placed on FATF's gray list and this decision would further complicate the situation," Rasul Baksh Raees, a Lahore-based political analyst, told VOA. "Two days ago, Pakistan presented a 26 point anti-terror-financing strategy in front of the FATF countries. Who will take it seriously if people like Ludhianvi are set free?"
​Retaliation?
While viewing the move as "irrational," Raees dismissed the notion that Ludhianvi's freedom is some sort of retaliation against the FATF's decision.
"The country has a caretaker government setup and cannot afford to take any such rash and foolish measures," Raees added.
Ahmad Bilal Mehboob, the head of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), said the announcement of setting Ludhianvi free has placed a question mark on the integrity of the caretaker government.
"The decision could be a result of any political pressure. I'm still unable to comprehend why would the caretaker provincial government set free the ASWJ leader, a group that has established terror ties," Mehboob said.
According to Pakistani laws, with his name cleared, Ludhianvi can run in the upcoming general elections and will have access to his previously frozen financial assets. He also can freely travel within and outside the country.
Punjab recommendation
Speaking to VOA, provincial government officials have downplayed the lifting of the ban on Ludhianvi.
"It is a routine matter for the provincial home department to revisit names on the terror list and remove those who are acting according to the law," Shaukat Javed, Punjab's provincial interior minister, told VOA.
"Ahmed Ludhianvi's name was taken out of the watch list after a close review of his case by the provincial government," Javed added.
Hasan Askari Rizvi, the caretaker chief minister of Punjab province, told Reuters the decision was made by the federal government. The "Punjab government is implementing decisions of [the] election commission and the federal government in this regard," Rizvi said.
Raees is among the experts saying the decision is a "sheer mistake that should be corrected" and "it doesn't matter whether the decision was taken by the federal government, Punjab government or NACTA."
Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat
ASWJ is a sectarian Sunni militant group established in Punjab province in 1985 to counter the Shiite Islam in the country. It was previously known as Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP).
Pakistan placed ASWJ on its terror watch list in 2002. Over the years, however, the outfit has resurfaced with several identities, including Anjuman Sipah-e-Sahaba, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan and Sipah-e-Muhammad.
The group has had several alliances and links with terror groups including al-Qaida and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), and has been blamed for several deadly attacks against the Shiite minority in the country.
The group is also a staunch supporter of the country's controversial anti-blasphemy law.
In 2011, ASWJ follower Mumtaz Qadri fatally shot Punjab's governor, Salman Taseer, after Taseer demanded changes in the blasphemy law.
In addition, ASWJ has operated as a political party and, despite being banned several times, its candidates, through affiliations with various political and religious groups, have openly participated in past elections.
Aurangzeb Farooqui, a Karachi-based ASWJ member, and several others will be contesting for seats in the upcoming elections in July.
Who is Ludhianvi?
Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, the current chief of Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat and the joint secretary of Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an alliance of about 40 political and religious parties, hails from Pakistan's Punjab province.
Ludhianvi is known to be a strong proponent of a strictly Sunni Islamic Pakistan and is referred to as Safeer-e-Aman (Ambassador of Peace) among his followers. He took charge of the outlawed ASWJ after Ali Sher Haidri, its former chief, was killed in an attack in 2009.
Ludhianvi has played an active role in politics and participated from his ancestral Jhang city in general elections in 2008 and 2013.
VOA's Urdu service contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-removes-sunni-extremist-leader-from-terror-watch-list-/4460750.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-removes-sunni-extremist-leader-from-terror-watch-list-/4460750.htmlFri, 29 Jun 2018 18:22:55 -0400Extremism WatchSouth & Central Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-removes-sunni-extremist-leader-from-terror-watch-list-/4460750.html#commentsPakistan Confirms Place on Terror-Financing Watch ListPakistan on Thursday confirmed it had been placed on the Financial Action Task Force's "gray list" over its alleged failure to choke off terror financing, although the global financial watchdog has not yet announced the decision.
Muhammad Faisal, spokesman for Pakistan's foreign office, verified FATF's decision during a press briefing Thursday, adding that Pakistan's inclusion on the list was not unexpected.
"We were told in February that we will be placed on the gray list. We will have to ensure the implementation of the action plan shared with FATF while we are on the gray list. If adequate measures are taken, we can be removed from the list," Faisal told reporters.
The FATF, which is currently holding its weeklong plenary session in Paris, has said it will make a formal announcement Friday.
Pakistan's confirmation came a day after the Islamabad delegation presented a comprehensive 26-point, anti-terror-financing strategy to the 37 FATF member countries.
International pressure
Earlier this year, the United States, France, Britain and Germany introduced a motion to the FATF, alleging Pakistan's failure to adhere to the international guidelines for curbing terror financing and money laundering.
In February, during a meeting in Paris, FATF member countries decided to put Pakistan on the gray list in an effort to increase pressure on the South Asian country to take adequate measures against terror financing on its soil.
Although the decision did not surprise many inside the government, Pakistan still fears the decision will negatively affect the country's economy and hamper foreign direct investment.
Analysts from Pakistan say the FATF decision is evidence the country needs to devise a concrete and comprehensive strategy to avoid being added to FATF's black list.
"Being on the gray list might not hurt the economy as badly as being added to black list will do," retired Lieutenant General Talat Masood, a prominent defense and security expert, told VOA.
"It seems the country will have to do more, although I still believe Pakistan has taken adequate steps in the past few months to counter terror financing," Masood added.
New regulations
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), the country's national financial authority, last week adopted a framework for compliance with FATF's recommendations to counter money laundering and terrorist financing, in a document titled Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Regulations 2018.
According to the SECP, the new law will help identify criminals and militant elements that hide behind the "complex ownership structure of companies or other similar forms."
Dr. Tahir Rohail, a U.S.-based South Asian affairs expert, said that while he appreciated Pakistan's new laws, he was cynical about the willingness among the leadership to enforce them.
"There is a contrast between the ideology of Pakistan's civil side and the security establishment that is protecting the militant elements with established terror ties," Rohail told VOA. "So, what is the use of these laws if there is no implementation?"
Khalid Farooqi, a Brussels-based security analyst, echoed Rohail's concerns, adding, "Laws have been crafted, but what is the point of these laws? [Pakistani cleric] Hafiz Saeed's groups are still collecting funds. Where is the implementation of the laws?"
Automatic blacklisting
In February, Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain approved amendments to the country's anti-terrorism law that allowed the government to automatically blacklist groups placed on the U.N. terror watch list.
The legislation authorized the government to seize the operations of U.N.- and U.S.-designated terror groups Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), which are both linked to Saeed.
Saeed is alleged to be the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans. Following the attacks, Saeed was placed on the U.N. sanctions list. He was designated a global terrorist by the U.S. in 2012.
Over the past several years, Saeed has been put under house arrest several times, only to be later acquitted by the Pakistani courts, which stated there was a lack of evidence to establish Saeed's links to the Mumbai terror attacks.
Pakistan has remained under criticism from the U.S. and India for not doing enough to hold Saeed accountable for his terrorist activities. Despite being placed on the terror watch list, Saeed's groups JuD and FIF have in the past openly collected funds and have enhanced their influence throughout the country.
Terror financing
Terror financing still remains a challenge in Pakistan, where militant and extremist groups have openly generated large sums of money under the guise of religion and welfare for the poor. The funds are allegedly being used for terror activities within and outside the country.
Militant groups collect money using different methods and sources in the country, largely relying on foreign funding, drug trafficking, extortion from businesses and kidnapping for ransoms. The Hawala system, a parallel banking system, is another convenient method militants use to launder their money.
The international community has repeatedly expressed concern about Pakistan's noncompliance with the international guidelines for curbing militants' financial sources in the country.
Shahnaz Nafees from VOA's Urdu service contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-confirms-it-s-on-terror-financing-watch-list/4459625.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-confirms-it-s-on-terror-financing-watch-list/4459625.htmlThu, 28 Jun 2018 20:19:58 -0400Extremism WatchSouth & Central Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-confirms-it-s-on-terror-financing-watch-list/4459625.html#commentsPakistan Adopts Rules to Fight Terrorism FinancingPakistan's national financial authority has adopted new regulations to fight money laundering and terror financing and to comply with Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) guidelines, a global financial watchdog that recently placed Pakistan on its gray list for its inability to choke terror financing.
Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, or SECP's "Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Regulations, 2018" is a framework designed to comply with FATF's recommendations that are critical for Pakistan to remain a member of the Asia Pacific Group, an FATF body that overlooks Asian countries.
SECP's order will void earlier notifications that demanded a separate requirement for anti-money laundering (AML) and countering financial of terrorism (CFT) for financial institutions.
The directive issued by the national security entity said the newly adopted law will help to identify criminals and militant elements that hide behind the "complex ownership structure of companies or other similar forms."
Terror financing
Terror financing remains a big challenge in Pakistan, where militant groups allegedly raise money under the guise of religion and welfare for the poor.
Foreign funding, drug trafficking, extortion from business and kidnapping for ransoms are other means of income for terrorists in Pakistan. They also largely use Hawala system, an alternative or parallel banking system to launder money.
The international community has repeatedly expressed concerns about Pakistan's noncompliance to the international guidelines to choke militants' financial sources in the country.
Pakistan denies the allegations and maintains it has destroyed terror elements indiscriminately and has curbed the financial assets of militant elements.
Last year, Washington suspended $2 billion worth of aid to Pakistan, accusing the country of harboring terrorists that launch attacks on NATO and Afghan forces in neighboring Afghanistan.
FATF's gray list
Earlier this year, United States along with France, Britain and Germany reached out to FATF and introduced a motion alleging Pakistan had failed to comply with the global watchdog's guidelines on terror financing and anti-money laundering regulations.
In February, during a meeting of FATF member countries in Paris, it was decided to place Pakistan on FATF's grey list to pressure Pakistan to take more concrete steps against terror financing.
Lisa Curtis, a United States National Security Council official, visited Islamabad after the FATF decision and said: "There has been a longstanding concern about the ongoing deficiencies in Pakistan's implementation of its anti-money laundering/counterterrorism finance regime."
Pakistan also previously remained on FATF's terror watch list from 2012 to 2015.
Terror law amendment
In February, Pakistan's President Mamnoon Hussain approved amendments to country's anti-terrorism law that authorized the government to automatically blacklist groups declared terrorists under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF)'s operations were seized. Both of these charities are linked to the Islamist cleric Hafiz Saeed who is believed to be the mastermind of the 2008 attack in Mumbai that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans. He was added to the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1267 sanctions list in December 2008.
The U.S. designated Saeed a global terrorist in 2012 and offered a bounty of $10 million for information that would lead to his arrest.
Pakistan has been severely criticized for its inability to crack crackdown on Saeed and his JuD and FIF organizations. Despite being placed on U.S. and U.N. terror lists, the organizations had until recently operated freely. Over time, the groups have managed to gain influence throughout the country.
In January, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) issued a directive banning individuals and groups placed on terror watch lists by Pakistan and the U.N. Security Council from collecting funds. The directive also banned those groups from arranging any political, social, welfare or religious events in the country. The directive included Saeed's JuD and FiF.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-financial-entity-adopts-new-counter-terror-financing-regulations/4449833.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-financial-entity-adopts-new-counter-terror-financing-regulations/4449833.htmlThu, 21 Jun 2018 22:50:18 -0400Extremism Watchwebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-financial-entity-adopts-new-counter-terror-financing-regulations/4449833.html#commentsPakistan Election Body Again Disqualifies Terror-Linked Party Pakistan’s Election Commission (ECP) on Wednesday again rejected the registration application of Milli Muslim League (MML), a U.S.-designated terrorist political party.
Citing its alleged terror ties, the national electoral body said MML cannot participate in the country’s general elections scheduled for July 25.
The electoral entity denied MML’s right to register in October 2017. At that time, Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior Affairs had written to ECP that MML was a cover for Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a U.S.-designated terror-sponsoring organization in Pakistan, and therefore the group should not be allowed into the national political system.
“The government is vigilant and under no circumstances will allow any political party with a proven record of promoting violence and terrorism to spread their extremist ideology through democracy and political means,” Tallal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s then-minister of state for interior affairs, told VOA.
Dissatisfied with ECP’s verdict, MML took the matter to court and maintained the refusal was illegal and unconstitutional.
Earlier in March, the Islamabad High Court ordered ECP to revisit the matter and to allow MML to be registered as a political entity in Pakistan.
​Terrorist political party
The U.S. State Department in April imposed sanctions on MML and declared the party and its leadership terrorists.
The U.S. added that the MML and Tehreek-e-Azadi-e-Kashmir were aliases for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a U.S.-designated terror group. The United States categorically declared seven MML leaders as terrorists.
Both of these parties were established last year and are tied to Hafiz Saeed, the Islamist cleric who founded Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in the 1980s.
Saeed is the alleged mastermind of the 2008 attack in Mumbai that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans. He was added to the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1267 sanctions list in December 2008.
The U.S. designated him a global terrorist in 2012 and has offered a bounty of $10 million for information that would lead to his arrest.
​LeT’s front organizations
For years, Saeed has been trying to avoid sanctions and increasing international pressure on LeT by creating cover organizations with the same motives. Saeed renamed LeT to Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and founded another charity organization Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF). Both JuD and FIF are placed on U.S. and U.N. terror watch lists.
He founded Lashkar-e-Taiba to liberate Indian-administered Kashmir and to subsequently merge it with Pakistan. Over the years, the group expanded its operations into neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistan has been under increasing pressure for its inability to prosecute Saeed and sanction JuD and its subsidiary Falah-i-Insaaniyat Foundation (FIF), which operate freely in the country, despite being placed on the U.N.’s terror watch list.
In a press briefing in February, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert criticized Pakistan for its inaction against Saeed.
“How many times have we talked about the person who Pakistan let out of house arrest, who was responsible for the Mumbai attacks back in 2008 that killed so many people, including Americans, too?” she asked.
Pakistan, on the other hand, maintains there is insufficient evidence to connect Saeed to the Mumbai attacks and that he has been acquitted by the courts after due process.
​Milli Muslim League
MML was established in August 2017 as a political wing for JuD, with an aim to enter Pakistan’s political arena.
MML-backed candidates participated in the country’s by-elections last year. The party’s supported candidate in an important by-election in Lahore in September 2017 finished fourth in the race.
At that time, Pakistan’s Senate strongly criticized ECP for allowing MML-backed supporters to participate in the by-elections.
In a recent meeting between Pakistan’s election commission and representatives of the major political parties to formulate measures for the upcoming general elections, the parties strongly urged the electoral body to bar militant-turned-political parties from participating in the election.
“The Election Commission works according to the law and constitution of the country,” commission spokesperson Altaf Ahmad had told VOA. “One example is the Milli Muslim League, a party with alleged ties to a banned militant group, was not allowed to be registered once the government and intelligence agencies lodged their concerns about MML to ECP,” Ahmad said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-election-commission-disqualifies-terror-linked-party/4438212.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-election-commission-disqualifies-terror-linked-party/4438212.htmlWed, 13 Jun 2018 20:48:20 -0400Extremism Watchwebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-election-commission-disqualifies-terror-linked-party/4438212.html#commentsPakistani Coalition Vows to Impose Sharia if ElectedThe leadership of a coalition of five religious-turned-political parties known as Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) has vowed to implement Islamic law if they are elected in Pakistan's general elections July 25.
Earlier this week, the heads of the Islamist-led political formation gathered in Islamabad to announce its 12-point election charter, declaring implementation of sharia as its top priority.
"All Islamic provisions in the constitution must be protected, and Nizam-e-Mustafa [sharia] should be implemented," Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of MMA, said during a news conference.
Protection of all Islamic provisions in the constitution, empowerment of parliament, an independent justice system, new foreign policy and equal rights for minorities remained other salient features of party's election strategy.
Liaquat Baloch, MMA's secretary-general, told VOA that the election manifesto was an effort to revive Islamic values in accordance with the constitution.
"Our aim is to make Pakistan an Islamic and democratic country. Pakistan has been pushed toward so-called liberalism and secularism under the Western pressure. It is our responsibility as religious leadership to work to impose the Sharia Act," Baloch said.
Not surprising
MMA's promise to implement sharia didn't come as a surprise to political experts in Pakistan, who said it was just another election slogan and political gimmick aimed at attracting voters.
"MMA has always used religion to appeal to people for votes. They build their case that secular parties are dangerous, as they do not work to implement religious rules and norms. Religion stays a very sensitive topic in the country," Ahmad Bilal Mehboob, the head of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), told VOA.
MMA's political alliance is a merger of five hard-line and ultraconservative religiopolitical parties that include Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith (JA), Tehreek-e-Jafaria Pakistan (TJP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP).
All of these parties remained in power in the past decades and have a following in conservative parts of the country, mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan provinces that border Afghanistan.
Traditionally, the religious parties in Pakistan, despite winning seats from different pockets of the country, were never able to pull enough votes to form a government in the center.
Tilt toward Talibanization
Jahangir Khattak, a New York-based political analyst, said the manifesto is vague on how these implementations will take place.
"It is a typical MMA manifesto loaded with rhetoric and has little details. The term, sharia, is a broad term, and it needs probing. What kind of sharia are they talking about?" Khattak asked.
"Generally, political parties of MMA are considered to have a tilt and soft corner toward the Taliban, or their thinking to be aligned with the Taliban," Khattak said. "If MMA ever comes to power and will impose its brand of sharia, it is obvious it will be pushing the society towards Talibanization."
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
MMA emerged in 2002 when a coalition of religious-turned-political parties expressed its strong opposition to the U.S. war in Afghanistan that pushed the Taliban out of power.
Surprisingly, MMA got a majority in the elections and formed a government in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while remaining in alliance with the ruling party in Balochistan.
MMA remained in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until 2007.
In June 2003, the then-six-party Islamist alliance adopted a bill that declared sharia as the supreme law in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
However, the legislation, which was compared to the Taliban's notorious Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Discouragement of Vice in Afghanistan, was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2006.
There was a split in MMA because of differences among different political parties. In 2008, the religious alliance officially collapsed.
In December 2017, the religious heads of five Islamist parties gathered in Karachi and announced the revival of MMA to contest the 2018 general elections.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistani-coalition-vows-to-impose-sharia-if-elected/4429830.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistani-coalition-vows-to-impose-sharia-if-elected/4429830.htmlThu, 07 Jun 2018 20:55:34 -0400Extremism WatchSouth & Central Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistani-coalition-vows-to-impose-sharia-if-elected/4429830.html#commentsWill New Deal for Pakistan's FATA Ease Terrorism Threat?Pakistan last week signed legislation that integrates the semi-autonomous tribal region, previously known as the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), into Pakistan’s governing structure.
The United States has said this region provides safe havens to the militants who launch attacks by crossing into Afghanistan, where close to 14,000 U.S. troops are stationed.
The seven tribal agencies, which have struggled with terrorism and lawlessness for decades, have now become part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and will be governed under an interim law until the merger is finalized, according to the legislation.
Impact on war on terror
While Afghan-Pakistan regional experts have largely lauded the decision, some have questioned its impact on the war against terror.
Jahangir Khattak, a New York-based journalist and security expert, told VOA there should be no immediate, dramatic impact, because it will take time to place FATA under civilian control.
“It all depends on how quickly people are given representation in Pakistan’s national and regional assemblies. There are a lot of layers of administrative changes that have to happen,” Khattak told VOA. “And all these changes will impact the war on terror in that area.”
Dr. Muhammad Taqi, a U.S.-based defense analyst and expert on Pakistan, said the merger will help to repay to the tribesmen deprived of their fundamental rights and will also heal some wounds in the wake of the war on terror.
“Pakistan owes a due apology to tribesmen who were not only backward in terms of life and civil liberty but also on the human level,” Taqi said. “In 1973 and 1974, the Afghan jihadis were brought to South Waziristan by the Pakistani establishment and we know what happened here after 9/11.”
After U.S.-led forces dismantled the Taliban government in Kabul, several terror groups sought refuge in the tribal belt that shares a long and porous border with Afghanistan.
In the past decade, Pakistan’s military has launched multiple operations in the restive tribal belt, aiming to crush militant hideouts and Taliban strongholds.
Contrary to Pakistan’s claims, both the U.S. and Afghanistan allege that Pakistan’s tribal areas have served as a training facility for militants linked to the Haqqani network, which has been involved in waging deadly attacks in Afghanistan.
Pakistan denies sheltering any terrorist groups and points to the operations it has launched against militants.
Drone attacks
Since 2004, the U.S. has carried out numerous drone attacks inside Pakistani territory, targeting Haqqani network militants.
Pakistan has condemned these airstrikes, saying they violate the country’s sovereignty. Islambad also denies any organized presence of the Haqqani network in the territory.
The United States has used drone strikes to target al-Qaida militants, Pakistani Taliban and the Haqqani network over the past decade. In 2016, a U.S. drone strike carried out in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province killed Taliban key leader Mullah Mansoor.
According to estimates published by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the U.S. had launched 430 drone attacks in Pakistan from June 2004 through January 2018.
Retired Lt. Gen. Talat Masood, Pakistan’s leading defense and security expert, believes with mainstreaming of the tribal region, Pakistan’s reaction to drone strikes will be even stronger.
“With this merger, hopefully, there will be a substantial decrease in drone strikes,” Masood said. “The reaction of local people will also count, which I assume, will be quite negative. The U.S. will also not want to deteriorate its relations with Pakistan any further.”
The relationship between Pakistan and the United States has been strained. In August 2017, while announcing his South Asia strategy, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Pakistan of harboring militants and providing safe havens in the country.
Pakistan denied the U.S. allegations, maintaining it has paid a heavy price in the war against terror and destroyed militants indiscriminately.
Pashtun grievances
Regional experts also stressed that the emergence of Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), a movement launched by ethnic Pashtuns of the tribal region in recent months, highlighted the atrocities faced by the tribesmen nationally and globally.
“Let’s not forget the voices raised by PTM. It has helped to raise awareness about the problems a common man is facing in the tribal region. With political, legal, administrative and development mainstreaming, the security and economic situation will definitely improve,” Taqi said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/experts-mull-impact-of-pakistan-tribal-regions-mainstreaming/4422170.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/experts-mull-impact-of-pakistan-tribal-regions-mainstreaming/4422170.htmlSun, 03 Jun 2018 20:00:50 -0400Extremism Watchwebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)Pakistani Parties: Bar Militants From Election As a new caretaker government assumes control in Pakistan and the country prepares for general elections in July, Pakistan's Election Commission (ECP) this week held a session in Islamabad with representatives of major political parties in which party representatives urged the commission to bar militant-turned-political parties from participating in the election.
Zahid Khan, a leader of the Awami National Party (ANP) and former senator, told VOA that ECP officials and party representatives, in their meeting Thursday, also discussed measures taken to prevent vote rigging and the importance of conducting timely elections across the country.
“One of our main concerns, on what all the political parties had a consensus, was the measures taken by ECP to bar the militant-turned-political parties to participate in upcoming elections,” Khan said.
“We categorically told the Election Commission it is their duty to stop such elements from entering the political arena. It is against the constitution and the National Action Plan,” he added.
The National Action Plan is a 20-point strategy adopted in 2015 to combat terrorism. The plan states that no banned groups can operate in the country by changing names or identity.
The current parliament completed its five-year term on Thursday, and a caretaker government has taken over until the July 25 election, which will determine the ruling party and the next government.
Banned groups
The electoral body said it was vigilant and aware of the concerns expressed by political parties and would not allow any banned group to participate in the elections.
"The Election Commission works according to the law and constitution of the country,” commission spokesperson Altaf Ahmad told VOA.
“One example is the Milli Muslim League, a party with alleged ties to a banned militant group, was not allowed to be registered once the government and intelligence agencies lodged their concerns about MML to ECP,” Ahmad added.
Milli Muslim League, a political party established last year, is linked to Hafiz Saeed, a Pakistan-based, U.S.-designated global terrorist and leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Last year, the government of Pakistan wrote a letter to the Election Commission, declaring that Milli Muslim League was a front organization for Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a U.S.-designated terror organization with links to Saeed.
MML and its leadership were declared terrorists by the U.S. State Department in April this year.
Some analysts, like Rasul Baksh Raees, a Lahore-based security expert, believe that while the decision to disqualify MML from participating in general elections is laudable, many other hardline radical groups are registered with ECP under new names and identities.
"The point of concern is the registration of extremist political parties, such as Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan or Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat, who are contesting these elections. The National Action Plan clearly instructs the government to take measures to bar religious extremist parties,” Raees told VOA.
Mumtaz Qadri
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, or TLP, is a political party that was established last year. Its members say they want to continue the legacy of Mumtaz Qadri, a bodyguard of Salman Taseer, Punjab’s governor, who killed the governor in 2011 after Taseer demanded changes to the country’s controversial blasphemy law.
Qadri was hanged by the state in 2016, but his grave has turned into a shrine for those who admire his stance on Pakistan’s blasphemy law.
TLP is aiming to field its contestants in the upcoming elections.
Similarly, Alh-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat (ASWJ), a banned group, is reportedly planning to run for seats as independent candidates and through the platform of Pakistan Rah-i-Haq Party (PRP).
ASWJ is the political front for Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), a radical group that is blamed for deadly attacks against the country’s minority Shiite Muslims.
Both SSP and ASWJ have been placed on Pakistan’s terror watch list.
Another banned group, Tehreek-i-Jafria Pakistan (TJP), a Shiite Muslim sectarian religious organization, is registered with the ECP under the name of Islami Tehreek Pakistan (ITP) and is also considering running for seats in next month’s elections.
TJP also goes by other names, including Tehreek-e-Islami (TEI) and Tehreek-e-Fiqah-e-Jafria (TFJ).
Growing concerns
The mainstreaming of several banned militant groups in Pakistan has raised concerns and led some analysts to question the government’s willingness to hold such groups accountable and ban them from politics.
“The emergence of hardliner political parties is alarming. But what is more alarming is: What measures are the government and ECP taking to stop this from happening?” Raees asked.
The Election Commission officials say that declaring groups as banned or free is not their duty. The country’s law enforcement authorities have made that determination.
“It is not our duty to declare any group or party as a proscribed outfit. This duty lies with the Interior Ministry and government of Pakistan,” ECP spokesperson Ahmad said. “ECP makes sure the legal procedures and requirements are fulfilled, and only after that it allows the parties to register with the national electoral body.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistani-political-parties-urging-electoral-body-to-bar-militants-from-election/4420113.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistani-political-parties-urging-electoral-body-to-bar-militants-from-election/4420113.htmlFri, 01 Jun 2018 20:24:26 -0400Extremism WatchSouth & Central Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistani-political-parties-urging-electoral-body-to-bar-militants-from-election/4420113.html#commentsPakistani Senate Looks Into Concerns of Hazara MinorityMore than 3,000 members of the Hazara minority have been killed in targeted killings and terror attacks in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province since 2001, leaders of the community told the country's Senate Thursday.
The Senate's Committee for Human Rights held a special session to hear the grievances of the Hazara community, which has experienced a surge in attacks in recent years.
"We have put our case in front of the committee with a hope that the government will take action against the unlawful killings of Hazaras," Jalila Haider, a Hazara lawyer and human rights activist, told VOA. "Most of the Hazara community members were killed and targeted in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan. We have continued to face the brutality for over two decades now because we belong to a certain ethnic and minority group."
Senator Muhammad Ali Khan Saif, a member of the human rights committee, told VOA that the Shiite community "has remained vulnerable for decades in Balochistan."
"It is our responsibility to listen to their grievances. Based on their statements, we will compile our recommendations and send it to relevant authorities for further action," he said.
The human rights committee will meet again in June to assess the situation.
Hazaras are largely based in and around Quetta, Balochistan's capital. In the 19th century, the ancestors of Quetta's Hazaras sought refuge in the area to escape persecution and poverty in central Afghanistan.
'Constant fear'
Members of the Hazara community said they hoped the meeting with Pakistani lawmakers would help ease their plight.
"We are forced to live in a state of constant fear. We have restrictions on our movement due to security concerns. We hope the government will listen to our concerns," Abdul Khaliq Hazara, an ethnic Hazara politician, told VOA.
"During the month of April this year, there were at least four separate incidents of killings against us in Balochistan. These people come out of nowhere and kill us for no reason. And there's nothing the government or the security forces have done to stop this atrocity," he added.
Government stance
The provincial government rejects allegations that it is not protecting the community. The government said it has taken adequate measures to prevent attacks.
"The government is committed to taking action against terrorism indiscriminately. Hazaras are our brothers, and it is our priority to ensure those who are involved in killings against the group will be arrested," Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, Balochistan's home minister, told VOA.
In early May, a large number of Hazaras went on a hunger strike in Quetta that lasted more than five days to pressure the government to take measures against racial profiling and targeted killings.
The protest was called off after Pakistan's army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, met with community leaders to assure them that their concerns would be addressed.
"Those targeting the Hazara community will suffer twice as much, and the state and Pakistan army will provide security to the community," Bajwa assured them.
Pakistan's military later issued a statement saying security forces in Balochistan had killed a senior pro-Islamic State militant commander who was wanted for the killing of more than 100 Hazaras and policemen in the province.
Fleeing the country
Because of insecurity and continued attacks against the minority group, thousands of Hazaras have left Pakistan in recent years.
"Due to the continuous targeted killings against the community, around 90,000 families have relocated to Indonesia, Turkey and other countries," Haider said. "In the name of security, we're being forced to live in concentration camp-like conditions under the vigilance of security forces. This is not a life we want. We want to enjoy freedom."
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistani-senate-looks-into-concerns-of-hazara-minority/4409353.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistani-senate-looks-into-concerns-of-hazara-minority/4409353.htmlThu, 24 May 2018 21:35:05 -0400Extremism WatchSouth & Central Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistani-senate-looks-into-concerns-of-hazara-minority/4409353.html#commentsPakistan Envoy: No Country Can Accuse Us of Not Taking Action Against TerroristsPakistan is the one country in the region that has done the most against terrorism, and no country can accuse Pakistan of not doing enough against terrorism and extremism, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Pakistan's outgoing ambassador to the U.S., told VOA.
“Al-Qaida, if you don’t hear about it today, it is because Pakistan and the U.S. were cooperating. Al-Qaida is the organization that caused 9/11, and therefore we think that no country can tell us that Pakistan has not done enough. In fact, Pakistan has done the most,” Chaudhry said.
Last year, while announcing his new South Asia strategy, U.S. President Donald Trump put Pakistan on notice for failing to do more against terror safe havens in the county.
The very first tweet this year from the U.S. president was about Pakistan.
“The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!,” Trump tweeted.
Allegations unfounded
But Chaudhry says the allegations that there are safe havens in Pakistan or that the leadership of the Afghan Taliban is based there are myths.
“It is a myth to say that there are any Shuras in Pakistan, Karachi Shura, Quetta Shura and all these things,” Chaudhry said. “We’ve said time and again that there are no safe havens in Pakistan. Forty-four percent of the territory of Afghanistan is available, according to U.S. reports, and 70 percent, according to a BBC report, is available to militants of that huge country.”
However, General Joseph Votel, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee in February that Pakistan has yet to take any decisive action against the militants, including the Haqqani network.
“Ongoing national counterterrorism efforts against anti-Pakistan militants throughout the country have not yet translated into the definitive actions we require Pakistan to take against Afghan Taliban or Haqqani leaders,” Votel said.
U.S. and Afghan officials have long accused Pakistan of being selective in its campaign against militant groups operating in the country. Pakistani officials deny the charges and maintain the country has equally targeted all militant groups.
“Pakistan is squeezing space on Haqqanis and the Taliban. Our message to them is very clear, 'you’re Afghans and you should give up violence and go to Afghanistan to join the political mainstream,'” Chaudhry said.
“But to hold Pakistan responsible for a lack of success in Afghanistan is not a fair treatment,” he added.
Tribal region
Militants reportedly are using Pakistan's tribal region for training purposes and planning attacks across the border in Afghanistan against U.S. and Afghan forces.
Chaudhry asserted that following several military operations, the region has been cleared of militants.
“Violence and terrorism under any pretext is not acceptable. That’s where our military forces moved into the tribal areas, especially North Waziristan where these people had created hideouts, safe havens, IED [improvised explosive devices] factories, training camps and whatever else, and two, three years later, we were able to clean up the whole place and secure every inch of that territory,” he said.
Despite the government’s claim, voices raised by a recent movement initiated by ethnic Pashtuns belonging to the Tribal belt tells a different story. Pashtun Tahafuz (Protection) Movement, or PTM, charges there is no peace in the volatile tribal region.
Chaudhry downplayed those accusations and seemed to suggest the PTM movement has been hijacked by outsiders.
“I think people are exaggerating because they have their own axe to grind, otherwise there are talks going on with them [PTM] by the authorities and the matter is also in the courts,” he said.
“Within Pakistan, Pashtuns are very committed Pakistanis, and they have made enormous contributions to the people of Pakistan,” he added.
PTM members deny links to any foreign government and charge that their demands are within the country’s constitution.
Hafiz Saeed
Islamist cleric Hafiz Saeed, a U.S.-designated terrorist, who allegedly was the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 160 people, is allegedly living a free life in Pakistan’s Lahore. The U.S. has criticized Pakistan for not doing enough to hold Saeed accountable.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said at a press briefing in February that Pakistan had been called out several times for its inadequate actions against Saeed.
“How many times have we talked about the person [Saeed] who Pakistan let out of house arrest, who was responsible for the Mumbai attacks back in 2008 that killed so many people, including Americans, too?” Nauert said.
Chaudhry said Saeed’s case is legal and India has failed to present evidence against him.
“We tried several times in 2012, when I think the first judicial commission went, but they could not interrogate the prosecution witnesses — except then a year later they went again, but the full range of evidence was not made available that can stand the legal scrutiny,” Chaudhry said.
Future relations
Pakistan’s relations with the U.S. have deteriorated in recent years, and just recently, relations between the two countries plummeted to a new low when Washington issued a directive requiring Pakistani diplomats to seek permission five days in advance before traveling more than 40 kilometers outside their posts in the U.S.
In retaliation, Pakistan reciprocated with its own restrictions on U.S. diplomats.
Nonetheless, Chaudhry seems optimistic about relations between the two nations.
“The point that I’m making is - it’s a resilient relationship and if it is passing through a bad patch today, it will come right back to normal just like it has come back in the past,” he said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-envoy-no-country-can-accuse-us-of-not-taking-action-against-terrorists/4397175.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-envoy-no-country-can-accuse-us-of-not-taking-action-against-terrorists/4397175.htmlWed, 16 May 2018 18:50:52 -0400East AsiaExtremism Watchwebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-envoy-no-country-can-accuse-us-of-not-taking-action-against-terrorists/4397175.html#commentsPakistan's 'Name Game' Gives Terror Groups a PassChanging one's name in Pakistan is a daunting and lengthy legal procedure that requires extensive paperwork.
Surprisingly, that is not the case with militant groups that get banned by the government. In the past two decades, several groups accused of carrying out terror attacks have avoided a crackdown by changing their names.
Islamist cleric Hafiz Saeed, a U.S.-designated terrorist who allegedly was the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 160 people, is perhaps the most prominent leader accused of the tactic.
Saeed lives freely in Lahore, despite having a $10 million U.S. bounty on him since 2012. His Lashar-e-Taiba (LeT) group also has been designated a terrorist outfit by the United Nations, Britain, Russia and the European Union. But he has evaded a ban in Pakistan on LeT by creating multiple other organizations that critics say are merely fronts for the original terrorist group.
LeT was formed in the 1980s with a vision to liberate Indian-administered Kashmir and to eventually merge it with Pakistan. The government of Pakistan banned LeT in 2002.
Saeed later renamed LeT as Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), and its charity subsidiary Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF). Both JuD and FIF are placed on U.S. and U.N. terror watch lists.
The resurfacing of several terror factions over the years has led regional experts to question the government's willingness to hold such groups accountable.
"Banned organizations are not allowed to resume activities after changing names, according to the law," Zahid Hussain, a security expert, told VOA.
"Nevertheless, almost all of the banned outfits are working in Pakistan. It appears that the state and the government are not serious about stopping them. They only place them on a terror watch list after facing increased international pressure," he added. "We have several such examples, such as JuD, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan."
Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), an extremist group proponent of liberation of Indian-administered Kashmir, operated under a new name, Tehreek-ul-Furqan, after it was banned in 2002.
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, a U.N.-designated terror group, rebranded itself as Harkat-ul-Ansar in 1993 following a ban. Its leader, Fazlur Rehman Khalil, lives openly in the Pakistani capital.
Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), a radical group that is blamed for deadly attacks against the country's minority Shiite Muslims, was banned multiple times by the government, only to reinvent itself as Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan (MIP) and Alh-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat (ASWJ).
Despite these examples, Pakistan's minister of state for interior affairs, Talal Chaudhry, maintains that no banned terror groups are allowed to operate in any capacity.
"The recent example is of Milli Muslim League. Pakistan's interior ministry last year wrote a letter to the country's election commission and stated MML is the front organization for Jamaat-ud-Dawa and should not be registered at the electoral body," Chaudhry told VOA.
"There are scores of organizations who are placed under Pakistan's terror watch list to make sure they do not operate in any way."
Many outside analysts say the government is willfully ignoring the problem because authorities believe the groups somehow promote the government's interests in the region.
"Pakistan has the capacity to stop these groups from changing names and operating freely, but it simply doesn't have the desire to do so," said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at Washington's Wilson Center.
"That's because Pakistan believes it has a stronger interest in letting these groups continue to operate, with different names, than in waging a full-scale crackdown," he added.
'Alarming' problem
While the problem is not new, it may be worsening.
Pakistan's general elections are scheduled to happen before mid-August, and observers say more radical groups are trying to rebrand themselves to enter national politics.
Milli Muslim League was created in August 2017 and is considered to be the political wing for JuD. The United States last month banned the organization, declaring its leadership as "terrorists."
Similarly, Alh-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat, the front for Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, aims to contest the upcoming general elections.
Political experts see the emergence of militants-turned-political parties as alarming and say they should not be allowed to join mainstream politics.
"The deep state of Pakistan is supporting the banned outfits as it has done in the past. This game should be stopped and the government should show its commitment and sincerity in disarming these groups and not to allow them to enter into politics," defense analyst Ahmed Rashid told VOA.
Even if they run, there is no guarantee the militants' parties will be able to draw much support at the ballot.
"The emergence of new hard-line religious political parties is certainly alarming, particularly as some are affiliated with actual terror groups," said Kugelman. "The good news is that religious political parties rarely do well at the polls in Pakistan.
"However, the reason for concern lies less with their electoral prospects, which are limited, and more with the fact that mainstreaming them brings them a semblance of legitimacy that only emboldens them and makes them stronger."
International pressure
Pakistan has been under growing international pressure for its inability to crack down on Saeed and other terror groups that resurface with new identities.
When Saeed was freed in November 2017 after 11 months of house arrest, the U.S. warned Pakistan of consequences.
Later, the U.S., along with Britain, France and Germany, introduced a motion against Pakistan with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global financial watchdog that monitors terror financing and money laundering around the world. The motion sought to place the country on the FATF list.
According to a decision taken at FATF's meeting in February, Pakistan will be placed on FATF's terror watch list in June this year.
Jinne Hassan contributed to this article.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-militant-name-game-gives-terror-groups-pass/4388801.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-militant-name-game-gives-terror-groups-pass/4388801.htmlThu, 10 May 2018 19:33:05 -0400East AsiaExtremism Watchwebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar, Mubashir Zaidi)https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-militant-name-game-gives-terror-groups-pass/4388801.html#commentsPakistan Confirms Participation in Trilateral Peace Conference Pakistan on Tuesday confirmed its participation in the trilateral religious conference starting in Indonesia on May 11 in an effort to discuss a peaceful solution to the ongoing war against terrorism in Afghanistan.
Qibla Ayaz, the chairman of Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), told VOA that Pakistani religious scholars will take part in the upcoming trilateral meeting in Indonesia.
“Pakistan is sending a 20-member-delegation of religious scholars belonging to different sects of Islam to this conference to build trust and to play its role to build peace in the region, especially in Afghanistan,” Ayaz said.
Ayaz also applauded the initiative by the Indonesian government of organizing an “extraordinary conference” that involves three Muslim-majority countries and is meant to find a solution to the war in Afghanistan.
Earlier last week, Afghanistan had also praised Indonesia’s efforts for its “sincere efforts in Afghan peace process”.
Afghanistan, Indonesia and Pakistan will participate with a 20-member delegation of prominent Islamic scholars and a joint statement condemning terrorism will be issued at the end of the conference.
The trilateral meeting was initiated by Afghanistan after it sought Indonesia’s support to convene the conference and to persuade Pakistani religious scholars to attend it in a bid to promote peace between the two countries.
The leaders of Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, have expressed hopes that the trilateral meetings will help to reach on a “mutual agreement, or a fatwa (edict)” that will persuade Taliban to denounce violence and to hold peace talks with the Afghan government.
Indonesia’s Vice President Jusuf Kalla earlier this week said that through hosting the Ulema (Islamic Scholars) conference Indonesia could play its part in reaching out a political settlement between Afghan government and Taliban.
“We hope to resolve the conflict in Afghanistan, we still a problem there,” Kalla had said on Saturday.
Analysts in Washington believe the conference might contribute towards peace efforts but they cast their doubt on a possible breakthrough.
“The aim of the trilateral conference is to reach an agreement and extend support for a political settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban insurgents. Given that the Taliban enjoys broad support from the Pakistani clerical circles who will be attending this conference,” Ahmad Khalid Majidyar, director of the Iran Observed Project at the Middle East Institute in Washington, told VOA.
“The event will help to build and understanding between clerics in Afghanistan and Pakistan but ultimately it’s unlikely to result in a breakthrough in potential peace talks,” Majidyar added.
Religious Scholars and the Taliban
Afghanistan accuses that hardline Pakistani religious scholars openly support Taliban and believe a joint statement against terrorism from prominent Islamic clerics will persuade Taliban to come on the peace talk table.
Taliban, on the other hand, have already denounced the proposed meeting and issued a statement in March that urged the scholars to boycott the conference in Indonesia.
“In order to give a legal face to the illegitimate Kabul administration and in the series of propaganda and deceptive ‘Peace Process’ efforts, this time around the enemies of our religion, country and independence want to fool internationally respected scholars and Islamic countries by convening a gathering of Islamic Scholars in the city of Jakarta, Indonesia or in another country,” warned the statement issued by the insurgent group.
Taliban, currently, holds 407 Afghan districts and there has been a spike in attacks by the group lately that has claimed nearly 1,000 civilian lives in the first quarter of 2018.
Taliban’s statement came as a response to Afghan High Peace Council (HPC) announcement about an international conference in March with a focus on Pakistani hardline religious clerics who support Taliban and their activities in Afghanistan.
"We are hoping that those Pakistani religious scholars like Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman and Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, who see the war in Afghanistan as legitimate jihad, would participate in the conference," Sayed Ehsan Taheri, Afghan High Peace Council spokesperson had told VOA at the time.
The HPC’s announcement came after more than 1,800 Pakistani clerics had issued an Islamic decree, or fatwa, that categorically condemned and denounced the suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism as “un-Islamic” and “against the teachings of the religion”.
Pakistan denies the allegations and says it has no links to the Taliban, and maintains peace in Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s interest.
Muhammad Ishtiaq, Mubashir Zaidi contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-confirms-participation-in-trilateral-peace-conference-in-indonesia/4385116.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-confirms-participation-in-trilateral-peace-conference-in-indonesia/4385116.htmlTue, 08 May 2018 15:45:52 -0400East AsiaExtremism Watchwebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)Freedom of Expression in Pakistan Continues to Face ChallengesFreedom of expression in Pakistan has continued to face challenges in the past year, says a report published by Freedom Network, a Pakistani media watchdog organization.
The report, Press Freedom Barometer 2018, published ahead of Thursday's observance of World Press Freedom Day, documents more than 150 violations against journalists and media groups in the country.
The 16-page report's violations include officially enforced censorship, written or verbal threats, killings, harassment, arrests, abductions, illegal confinements and physical assaults, conducted by state and nonstate actors and political and religious parties.
"At least 157 cases of attacks and violations were documented in Pakistan between May 1, 2017, and April 1, 2018, across all four provinces, Islamabad and tribal areas. That's an average of about 15 cases of violations a month," the report noted.
The executive director of Freedom Network, Iqbal Khattak, told VOA that despite a noticeable decline in overall terrorism in the country, journalism and journalists have remained vulnerable.
"There had been a significant decline in terrorism within the country, and we thought it will have a positive impact on journalism as well. But unfortunately that's not the case, and the situation of press freedom has deteriorated in Pakistan," Khattak told VOA.
There has been no response from the government.
Longtime, widespread problem
The report was compiled after collecting registered data across the country. It marked Islamabad as the "riskiest and most dangerous" city in which to practice journalism in Pakistan, with 35 percent of all cases (55 out of 157) reported in the capital during the past year.
Punjab province ranked second with 17 percent of the cases, Sindh with 16 percent and Baluchistan with 14 percent. Ten percent of the violations were noted in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Additionally, a semiautonomous tribal region bordering Afghanistan had 8 percent of the total registered cases.
Five journalists from different cities of Pakistan died in the line of duty, and 20 attacks were registered on media organizations last year. The report indicated TV journalists were more vulnerable than journalists belonging to other media such as print, social media or radio.
"This is the responsibility of the state and media houses to ensure the safety of journalists and that their rights are fully respected. Those who go out in the field to dig stories and bring facts to the nation should not be killed in the line of duty," said Rasul Baksh Raees, a political analyst from Pakistan.
Raees and others say the threat to journalists is nothing new, because they have always paid a price in Pakistan.
Independence jeopardized
Some experts believe the continued oppression against freedom of speech and expression has forced many media companies and journalists to self-censor.
"Journalists in Pakistan have surrendered to the continued oppression and have implemented self-censorship. They avoid reporting news and facts that may result in violence. This will have a serious and grave impact on investigative journalism in the country," Khattak said.
Mehdi Hasan, a Lahore-based media historian and current chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, echoed those concerns.
"Many newspapers and news channels are practicing self-censorship. That is a plague for freedom of expression and deprives people of their right to information," Hasan told VOA. He added that in its 70-year history, journalism in Pakistan has always faced pressure from state and nonstate circles.
While many analysts and media experts criticize the self-censorship and the suppression of free speech in the country, some also maintain that journalism in Pakistan has to re-evaluate the problems within itself and find a solution.
Soul searching
"I agree the findings of this report are disturbing and heartbreaking. Journalists should not have to live in an environment of fear. Those who go out to report events should not be killed, and no media group should be made to practice self-censorship," said Amir Ilyas Rana, a senior Islamabad-based journalist.
"However, I also believe that many so-called journalists who occupy TV screens during prime time have crossed their lines many times and are unaware of the intricacies of journalism. They invite problems by making false claims regarding different important institutions of the country. Uncontrolled freedom of speech is also not acceptable. This doesn't happen in Europe or the USA either," Rana added.
During the past few months, the Pakistani government and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) have faced harsh criticism for blacking out coverage of a peaceful movement by ethnic Pashtuns, known as the PTM, against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. The government is also accused of blocking the signal for Geo TV, Pakistan's most widely watched news channel, for more than a month.
"No coverage to PTM and to block Geo's transmission says a lot in itself. There is an unannounced censorship and it tells the freedom of speech is under pressure in Pakistan. Is there any solution to this? No one knows," Raees told VOA.
The government and PEMRA officials deny any involvement in blocking Geo's signal. Last month, PEMRA instructed cable operators to restore Geo to normal distribution or face the suspension of their licenses.
Muhammad Jaleel Akhtar of VOA's Urdu service contributed to this report from Islamabad.
https://www.voanews.com/a/freedom-expression-pakistan-continues-face-challenges/4376718.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/freedom-expression-pakistan-continues-face-challenges/4376718.htmlThu, 03 May 2018 19:42:11 -0400East Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)https://www.voanews.com/a/freedom-expression-pakistan-continues-face-challenges/4376718.html#commentsPakistan Islamist Party Threatens More ProtestsTehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), an Islamist political party, has called off its protest in Pakistan following an agreement with the government.
The protest kicked off in early April in the eastern city of Lahore and continued for 12 consecutive days until late Thursday.
Before reaching an agreement, the party warned the Pakistani government that it would arrange a series of demonstrations across the country if their demands were not met.
Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the founder of TLP has demanded the government fully implement the “Islamabad Agreement” or face what he called “consequences.”
TLP and the government reached an agreement last year after TLP staged a three-week protest in Islamabad that turned violent toward the end.
An official from Punjab province told VOA that the government held rounds of negotiations with the Islamic cleric trying to get the group to end its protest.
“Punjab government has had talks with Khadim Rizvi. We have tried to solve the matter as peacefully as we can,” Malik Ahmad Khan, the spokesperson for Punjab government told VOA.
“Unfortunately, these people play with people’s religious sentiments and you know how sensitive the matter of finality of Prophet Mohammad is in Pakistan,” Khan added.
Khan said government must try to find a permanent solution to these problems.
“We need a permanent political solution for such situations and this should end for once and for all,” he said.
​The protest
Thousands of TLP followers gathered in Islamabad last November and paralyzed the city for weeks. The protesters accused the government of committing blasphemy over modifying a parliamentary bill related to “Khatam-e-Nabbuwwat” oath that affirms the end of prophecy and Muhammad to be the last prophet.
The efforts to disperse the protesters by security forces turned violent and led to a series of reactionary protests in different parts of Pakistan.
In the end, the government accepted TLP’s demands following Pakistan’s military intervention to strike a deal between both sides.
As part of the agreement, the government reportedly promised that criminal cases against Khadim Rizvi and his followers would be withdrawn, TLP’s arrested members would be released and the government would also release the findings of an investigative report related to the modification of the parliamentary bill on “Khatam-e-Nabuwwat” oath.
Court orders arrest
The deal was dismissed last month after an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad declared Khadim Rizvi a fugitive and ordered the government to arrest him and present him before the court. The court is hearing three cases against Khadim Rizvi and his followers on charges of terrorism, violence and attacks on security forces during last year’s sit-in.
Despite his fugitive status, Rizvi lead a sit-in in Lahore for several days.
“It’s an irony that the government, despite having a court order for Rizvi’s arrest, is not able to arrest him,” Punjab government spokesperson Khan said.
On Rizvi’s orders, hundreds of TLP supporters occupied the roads leading to Lahore and vowed that the protest would continue until government agreed to their demands.
Some analysts blame the government for its failure and inadequate actions against forces who play with religious sentiments in the country.
“TLP will get what it wants because it is playing with religious sentiments in the country which is a highly sensitive matter in country like Pakistan. The government is afraid of them. The current government has a soft corner for right-winged religious parties,” said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a Lahore-based analyst said.
Tehreek-e-Labbaik
TLP emerged last year in August and came into prominence after the Islamabad sit-in. Its leader Khadim Rizvi openly admires Mumtaz Qadri and vows to carry on his legacy through TLP.
Mumtaz Qadri killed Salman Taseer, Punjab’s governor, in 2011 after Taseer demanded changes to country’s controversial blasphemy law.
Qadri was apparently unhappy with Taseer’s stance and believed no changes should be made to the blasphemy law.
Qadri was hanged after being found guilty of Taseer’s murder. Since then, his grave has turned into a shrine for those who agree with his position on Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.
Anti-blasphemy laws continue to be controversial in Pakistan. Rights groups say they have often been abused to settle personal vendettas and disputes. Due process is often ceremonial and decisions are often informed by the growing religious intolerance in the country. Even if courts do drop charges against defendants, mobs and local residents attack them.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-islamist-party-protests/4347916.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-islamist-party-protests/4347916.htmlSat, 14 Apr 2018 00:33:37 -0400East AsiaExtremism Watchwebdesk@voanews.com (Madeeha Anwar)